Goodbye Mercy
by amykaye
Summary: Frankie starts to clean up her life
1. Goodbye Mercy

"Please, Mary, you have to watch Mercy for me!" Frankie begged.  
"I don't think I can, Frankie. You know how my parents feel about you. They wouldn't be thrilled if I was over at your house alone, especially after the drug bust." Mary took the phone into her room so Simon, Ruthie, and Lucy wouldn't hear her.  
"Please, Mary. I could bring Mercy over to your house. Your parents can't object to that, right?" Frankie sounded desperate.  
"I guess so, I'll have to check. One more kid won't hurt I guess. Hold on." Mary set the phone down and went to look for her mom. She found her in the kitchen. "Mom, before you say anything -"  
"Why do I have a feeling you're going to ask me something I may not like?" she set the bowl on the counter.  
"Frankie's on the phone. She wants me to watch Mercy for her for a few hours--she'll come over here. We can let her play with Sam and David and she can sleep in their playpen. Come on, mom. Frankie sounds desperate."  
"Well, I guess thats okay. You'll have to watch Sam and David as well."  
"Thanks mom." Mary ran back upstairs. "Frankie, my mom said thats okay."  
"Great! I'll bring her over now." Frankie hung up.  
"Now?" Mary said to the dial tone. _There goes my relaxing evening,_ Mary thought. Fifteen minutes later, Frankie arrived with Mercy.  
"Thank you so much, Mary. I really appriciate this," Frankie said, setting Mercy down in Sam and David's room.  
"Where exactly are you going? And how long will you be?" Mary asked.  
"I'm not sure. I think Johnny is cheating on me again. I'm going to hunt him down again. And I've been getting these threatening phone calls. I don't know who they're from. I just need to get away, you know? Mercy's been a handful. I'll be back in three hours, tops. I promise."  
Mary followed her back to the door. "Okay, good luck, I guess." Frankie waved as she went down the walk. Mary went back upstairs to check on the three babies. Mercy was asleep, but Sam and David we standing up in their cribs. Mary took them out and put them on the floor and the crawled around. After about 10 minutes, they got amused with their toys. An hour later, Mercy woke up and Mary gave her a bottle, along with the twins. Then she changed them, put on night clothes, and put them down for the night. An hour later, Frankie came back for Mercy. "Thanks, Mary. Um, I can't exactly pay you right now. I will after I get paid next week."  
"Don't worry about it. I had to watch the twins anyway. She slept most of the time."  
"Thanks. Y'know, you're a really good friend." Mary smiled.  
"Bye, Frankie. I'll see you Friday."  
  


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Two days later Mary had to sit for the twins and Ruthie. Simon and Matt were hanging out together and Lucy was at the movies with a friend. Her parents were out for the evening. She had just put the twins to bed when the doorbell rang. Thankfully, the twins didn't wake up.  
"Ruthie! Could you get that!" she called downstairs, where Ruthie was watching TV. The door opened and Mary could hear a muffled scream. She ran downstairs to see what was wrong. Ruthie was okay, thank goodness, but she was staring, frightened at the person in the doorway.  
"Ruthie, why'd you scream?" she asked, coming to the door. She didn't need an answer. It was Frankie. "Ruthie, go check on Sam and David, then go to your room," Mary instructed, not taking her eyes off Frankie.  
"Why? You just put them down. I'm not in trouble, am I? For screaming?"  
"No, sweetie. I just need to talk to Frankie alone, okay?" Ruthie got the message and obediently went upstairs. Mary turned back to Frankie.  
  
  
  
  


What happened to Frankie? If I get 7 reviews, I'll post the next one. This is my 1st 7th Heaven fan fic, so don't be too brutal!


	2. Goodbye Mercy

Sorry it took so long you guys. I've been really busy this week.  
  
  
  
Mary stared at Frankie. She looked awful. She had obviously been beaten. Both her eyes were swollen and she had cuts on her face and her arms. Her clothes were dirty and torn.  
"My god, Frankie! What happened?" Mary finally asked, letting her in. They went into the TV room and sat down on the couch. Frankie was crying, but calmed herself down. "You can tell me. My dad can help you if you need him to."  
"I called the police yesterday about those phone calls. They came over to my house. My house just happened to be a wreck and Johnny was passed out on the couch. They searched the house and when they found Mercy, they called Child Protective Services. Mercy had touched the frying pan yesterday and had a burn on her fingers. The police took it all the wrong way. I'm a good mother, I really am!" Frankie said.  
"So, where is she?"  
"They took her away, Mary! They took my baby away!" Frankie started crying again. Mary didn't know what to do. She got up and got a box of Kleenex and handed it to Frankie.  
"What about Johnny?"  
"He's gone. The police didn't take him away. He wasn't arrested because I convinced the police that he was sick and he didn't want to get me sick. When he woke up he left. He came back this morning and he started yelling at me. He told me I was an awful mother and he didn't love Mercy. He said he wanted out. I told him it wasn't fair, and thats when he came at me. When he was done, he packed some stuff up and left. He took my car. I had to walk over here. He said he would come back and get more stuff and to stay out or he'll hit me again. I don't know what to do!" she covered her face with her hands.  
Mary was silent for a few minutes. "Well, for a few days you can stay here. Lucy has an extra bed in her room. You can stay there. I'll have to ask my dad, but I'm sure he'll say its okay. He can get a restraining order on Johnny if you want. He could even try to get Mercy back for you."  
"That would be great, Mary."  
  


*************************************************************

  
  
Eric hung up the phone and looked at Frankie. "Frankie, I can't guarentee that you'll get Mercy back. You'll have to go to court for that and also if you want to put a restraining order on Johnny. They've located him and he'll be at the hearing. I've set the court date; its on Saturday. Until then, you can stay here." Frankie smiled gratefully at him.  
  


*******************************************************************  
  
After the hearing  
  


"Well, this is good and bad. I can't get Mercy back right now, but if I go to rehab, counseling, and live either with my mom or in a small apartment, I might. They'll check on me every month and after 9 months, if I have a clean house--and a clean record--they'll let me have Mercy back. She's staying with a foster family right now. They have four kids. And, Johnny can't come near me. Which is sorta sad, since he won't ever be able to see Mercy again, but thats his fault," Frankie told Mary two days later.  
"Well, how about looking at some colleges? That would look great on your 'record,'" Mary said. Frankie agreed. As she was leaving, she left a thank you note on Rev. Camden's desk. She was determined to turn her life around, stay clean, and raise her baby right.


	3. Hello New Life

  
  
Five months later Frankie moved out of her mom's house and into a small apartment. She didn't have much there - one bedroom and one bathroom, a kitchen and a dining room/guestroom. She took Mercy's crib with her and set it up in her bedroom, along with some other baby-related stuff. She had one week to get it looking organized before it was "observed." She didn't have much furniture - a fold-out couch, two tables, two chairs, a tv and vcr, her bed, and a nightstand. Because of that, it didn't take her long to get everthing organized and put all her belongings away.  
Her mom lived on the other side of town. She had a job there, working as a secretary for her mom's office. She had learned a lot about computers and was a fast typer. Now she lived closer to the Camden's and the pizza place. She couldn't go work back there. But she had four job interviews before her observation - two as a secretary, one as an aide in a daycare center, and then another one at a clothing store. She was pretty sure she would get at least one of them.  
Once she was sure everything was put up, she wrote in her journal - something the Rev. suggested for her to do. Then she called her mom to let her know how she was doing.  
  
The next day, she had to go grocery shopping, and she had an interview - a receptionist for an dentist. She wanted to call Mary and see her and have her come see her apartment, but she had made a pact with herself. She would wait from seeing the Camdens, with the exception of the Rev., until the nine months were over. That way, if she got Mercy back, Mary would be able to see how well she had done.  
  
The next day, she had two job interviews. The first one was for the daycare center. It involved an interview and then she had to spend some time with the kids. They had to see her in action. For two hours, she watched over 10 kids, ages a year to five years. The lady seemed pleased with Frankie's work. She left with optimism. But, her next interview was the clothing store, and there were lots of people - people with better taste in clothes than her - who were there as well. She left a little dejected. At least she had one good interview that day.  
  
The next day was her free day. She got more food and went to the bookstore. She spent her day being lazy.  
  
Her next interview was at 11am the next day. It was another secretary job at a law firm. Again, she didn't feel good about the interview. The people there were so proper and rich. She doubted they wanted a single mother on probation working for them. But, her spirits lifted when she got home and she found she got the job at the daycare center and the dentist's office. She called back immedietly to both and accepted both. She would work at the daycare from 9-5 on weekdays and be in charge of the 4-6 year olds. She would work at the dentist's office Saturdays and evenings Monday and Wednesday. She knew it was a lot to take on, but the pay was good and she needed to brighten up her apartment a little and have enough money in four months to support both her and Mercy. She would begin the daycare job the next Monday and the dentist's the following Saturday. She had to go through training for both jobs, but she thought they would be a breeze.  
  
Saturday her apartment was inspected. The workers found nothing wrong with it, were happy to see the refrigerator and the pantry nearly filled with food and even happier to find she had two jobs. Needless to say, when they left, Frankie was very proud of herself.  
  
  


I know I haven't added to this for quite awhile, but I hadn't planned on continuing it. So, don't be brutal when you review because I know it isn't all that good. But review anyway!


	4. New Job

Frankie nervously sat by the secretary's desk at Jessica's Day Care and Help Center. She was there fifteen minutes early. She didn't have anything to do except watch the parents drop off the kids. Her training would be the next two days.  
Two girls and two boys ran in and put check marks by their names then ran off into the play room. The mom, Frankie guessed, was close behind, with a baby with her. She checked the list for the baby as well, then carried him to the nursery. Shortly afterwards a stream of kids followed the first five. Frankie guessed there were probably about eight or ten kids in her age group. Right before Jessica Hunt came to get Frankie, a little girl, probably about five, came in slowly. She had dirty clothes and messy, greasy hair. She smiled shyly at Frankie before checking in and then made her way to the playroom. Frankie guessed she was four, and hoped she was in her group. Seconds later, Jessica came in.  
"Hi, Frankie," she said, shaking Frankie's hand. "Come to my office and I'll explain to you some stuff." Frankie followed her into a small room. Jessica's office consisted of a desk, three chairs, a small bookcase, a few pictures, and a boombox. She sat down behind her desk and pointed to a chair for Frankie to sit. "As you know, this is my day care center. I started it about eight years ago. I was pretty much in your boat. I had my daughter when I was nineteen. She just turned thirteen. I had a lot of trouble at first. I smoked and when Jenna cried I didn't know what to do. She probably stayed at my parents house more than mine the first year. I had to do some drug rehab for six months, and since then she's lived with me. Her daddy left when she was six weeks old, which was fine with me because he was verbally abusive and never paid any attention to Jenna. Anyway, I started this place because I knew there were other mothers out there who needed to work and had kids. They were too young to go to school or the mom didn't have enough money for school or fancy daycare. This place kids can come to, get minimal teaching - like adding and easy reading - play and make friends. The mom, or dad as a few cases are, goes to work. If they need help finding a job, they can come here and we can help them. Now, some of the kids aren't treated very well by their parents. We haven't had any beaten kids yet, but some are basically neglected by their parents."  
"I saw a little girl come in here and she looked like she needed a bath," Frankie said.  
"That was probably Lindsey. Lil."  
"Lil?"  
"Lindsey Irene Larson. Her initials. Sweetest thing, but very quiet. She's five, so she'll be in your group.  
"But anyway, I get funding for this place through the government.  
"What you'll be doing is working with the 4-6 year olds. You'll play with them, twice a week teach them to read, write, or easy math. Friday's we have the "fun day" which is when we go to the park, go swimming, to the zoo, stuff like that. You'll also help make lunches during their naptime. When they're having lunch is your break. Lunch is about 30 minutes and so is their naptime. You can rotate with the other workers in your group. Lets see, you'll need to be here at 8:30-8:45, depending on the day. Mondays you'll need to be here at 8:30 or maybe even earlier. The drop off is earlier because sometimes we get new kids on Mondays. Mondays are also the days we have crafts in the morning. You'll need to help set up before they get here. Otherwise be here around 8:45. Fridays are pretty slow for some reason.  
"Do you have any questions?" Frankie shook her head. "Good. I'll show you around then you'll start your training. You'll help with lunch and meet your kids, spend some time with each of them. Tomorrow you'll make lunch again and watch everything. I'll be with you and explain things." Jessica then took Frankie though the building.  
It was an old fire station and it was perfect place for a day care. The bottom floor was the lobby, the nursery, the 1-3 year old room, the playroom, and the offices. The garage was transformed into a gym with a pit with a rope and a bar to swing from. There were see-saws, a jungle jim with monkey bars, 2 4-square courts, a high slide, and a trampoline. Behind that was a little backyard so the kids could run around. The second floor had the lounge and kitchen. It also had the rooms for the 4-6 year olds, the 7-9 year olds, and the 10 and older kids, as well as a computer room. By the time the tour was over, it was a about 10:30. Jessica led her to the classroom to introduce her to the kids. There were five girls and four boys.  
"Hey, kids, listen up. This is Frankie and she's going to start work here in two days. She's going to talk to you each of you and get to know you. Tell her something interesting, like your favorite animal or if you have a brother or sister. If she's talking to, Daniel, don't go up to her. She'll go talk to you when its your turn. Got it?" Jessica announced. The kids all nodded. Jessica turned to Frankie and whispered, "I'll come get you about 11:15 and you can help make lunch, okay?"  
Frankie nodded, and Jessica squeezed her arm as she left. Frankie didn't know which kid to go to first. She decided on a little boy with brown hair and glasses. Frankie sat down next to him. His name was Isaac. He was four, had two brothers(7 months and 2 years) and two sisters(2 and 6). He liked rollerskating and sherbert ice cream.  
Corrie was six, had a big brother and sister (13 and 15). She liked tigers, the circus, and painting.  
Another girl was named Hilary Whitney Rogers. She was named after "some chocolate lady's character in my mommy's favorite movie." She just turned five and wanted to learn to play the violin.  
Jake was six, had a baby brother, lived with his mom, and wanted a motorcycle for Christmas.  
Jordana was six. She was Isaac's older sister. Her little sister and brother were twins - Gabby and Gideon, and her baby brother was Benjamin. She loved being the oldest and loved horses.  
Timmy was five. He was an only child and lived with his dad. He liked to hunt and watch cartoons. He shot his first deer the past Thanksgiving.  
Daniel was four and had big sister and a niece. His sister was 20 and his niece is a year. He liked to play with his niece, Kimmy, who he got to name, and with his puppy.  
Grace was also four. She had an older brother (10), who she loved very much. She liked to play with her kittens and help her brother train their puppy. Sometimes she modeled and once got $50.  
Lil was her last stop. Lil, 5, was an only child. She and her mom lived in a small apartment. She loved horses and wanted to be an actress so she could help her mom pay rent on the apartment, or buy her a new car and a new house.  
Frankie's heart went out to Lil. She was so young yet she didn't think of herself. Frankie already liked all the kids. They seemed to know they were less fortunate but didn't let it bother them. She helped Kate, the other helper, get the kids settled with a coloring project then went to make lunch.  
"So, how ya doin'?" Jessica asked.  
"The kids are so cute. I love them already. It kinda makes me miss my daughter, though. I haven't seen her for five months," Frankie said, making PB and J sandwiches and putting them on a tray with juice boxes.  
"Yeah, I know what you're going through. If you need to talk, my door is always open."  
"Thanks, Jessica." Frankie was quiet for a minute. "That Lil, she's really something."  
"She really is. Very bright. We all say she's Harvard bound. But poor kid, only gets a bath two or three times a week. The wash is done every other week, and she doesn't have that many clothes. She takes it well. She never asks for things because she knows how tight they are on money."  
"She told me she wanted to be an actress so she could help her mom out."  
"Thats Lil. She was in a commercial last year. Got enough for a new outfit." Jessica helped her carry out the lunches and served them, then Frankie and Kate go to know each other while the kids ate and took naps. The rest of the day went by quickly, and Frankie didn't realize how tired she was until she got home and took a shower. She called her mom and told her about her day. Then she fixed some leftovers and went to bed. She almost couldn't wait to go back to the center.  
  
  


Anyone catch what movie I was talking about? First person to say in a review with have his/her name featured as a kid. :)  
Please **review**!


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